Podcast · Arts & Books

Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa

Welcome to the Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa. Join Dua each month as she takes you into the world of a book she has loved – and talks to the writer who brought it to life. Expect reads that will make you laugh, cry, and even change the way you think. There are no rules when it comes to the book

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 58 minNew

Klara And The Sun: Dua Lipa & Kazuo Ishiguro On Technology & Human Loneliness

For the Service95 Book Club this month, Dua is joined by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro to discuss Klara And The Sun, her October Monthly Read. As Taika Waititi’s film adaptation arrives in cinemas this month, they explore Ishiguro’s speculative novel and its questions around technology, loneliness, hope and what makes us uniquely human. At the heart of the novel is Klara, an artificial friend chosen to be a companion to 14-year-old Josie, a “lifted” teenager whose health is deteriorating. In this conversation, the pair discuss why Ishiguro chose Klara as the narrator, the ethical…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

16 Sep 2026 · 33 min
From The Archives: Dua Lipa & Guadalupe Nettel on the transcendent power of care in all its forms in Still Born
From the Service95 Book Club archive this month, we’re bringing you Dua’s May 2025 interview with Mexican author Guadalupe Nettel, on her novel Still Born. Set in Mexico City, friends Alina and Laura are united in their decision to be childfree, refusing to fall into a trap of the patriarchy. When Alina changes her mind, their friendship doesn’t fracture – it deepens, becoming more vital than ever. Alina’s life is upended when she receives a devastating medical diagnosis for her baby daughter. This is a story that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of raising a child with profound…
1 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
Martyr!: Dua & Kaveh Akbar On Addiction, Art & Exile
For the Service95 Book Club this month, Dua is joined by award-winning poet and novelist Kaveh Akbar to discuss his debut novel – and Dua’s Monthly Read for September – Martyr!, a poignant and generous exploration of addiction, identity, art and exile. At the heart of the novel is Cyrus Shams, a newly sober poet struggling to find his footing in life while reckoning with the loss of his mother decades earlier. Together, Dua and Kaveh explore Cyrus’ grief, addiction and search for a sense of place, as well as the real-life events woven into the novel and the power of fiction to bring the…
18 Aug 2026 · 45 min
From The Archives: Dua & Max Porter On ‘Grief Is The Thing With Feathers’
From the archives: Dua Lipa’s April 2025 conversation with author Max Porter on his novel Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. In this lyrical, surreal meditation on loss – in which a crow guides a father and his sons through the grief of losing their wife and mother – Max Porter tears up the rule book of what a novel should be. Throughout the episode, Dua and Max discuss his playful approach to novel writing – particularly its experimental form and the impact of Crow. “The thing about Crow is that he’s yours to make your own mind up about,” says Max. “Someone once said, ‘Oh, yeah, I get it,…
12 Aug 2026 · 51 min
Lost Lambs: Dua Lipa & Madeline Cash On Her Debut, Dysfunctional Families & The Search For Meaning
For her August Service95 Book Club interview, Dua Lipa is joined by author Madeline Cash to discuss her breakthrough debut novel, Lost Lambs. Set in an unremarkable American suburb, the story follows the Flynn family, who are on the brink of unravelling: parents Bud and Catherine are trying to make an open marriage work while their three daughters each test the limits of adolescence. Holding a funhouse mirror up to contemporary America, the novel is at once laugh-out-loud funny, hyper-real and thought-provoking. Dua and Madeline’s conversation follows suit. Together, they explore the strange…
28 Jul 2026 · 29 min
From The Archives: Tommy Orange On Native Identity, Untold Histories And There There
From the Service95 Book Club archives, this episode from March 2025 sees Dua sit down with Tommy Orange to discuss There There – his powerful novel that follows 12 Native Americans whose lives converge at the Big Oakland Powwow. Dua and Tommy trace the histories often omitted from America’s national story and talk about what fiction can do that history books alone cannot. Tommy reflects on the real-life events that inspired the novel, including the 1969 to 1971 occupation of Alcatraz and the Standing Rock protests, and how those moments found their way into his characters. He describes…
14 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Lea Ypi On Freedom, Communism And Growing Up In Albania In Free
For her July Service95 Book Club interview, Dua Lipa is joined by award-winning author and academic Lea Ypi to discuss Free, Lea’s internationally acclaimed memoir, which recounts her childhood in Albania during the collapse of communism. From hidden family histories and state surveillance to protest and modern-day Albania, Dua and Lea explore how political systems continue to shape individual lives, collective memory and the country’s evolving identity, returning to the question at the heart of the book: what does it really mean to be free? Watch (or listen to) the full conversation here to…
23 Jun 2026 · 46 min
From The Archives: Paul Murray on family secrets, loneliness and The Bee Sting
From the archives this month: Dua’s February 2025 conversation with Irish author Paul Murray, on his novel The Bee Sting. An epic family saga set in contemporary Ireland, the novel follows the Barnes family through financial collapse, fractured relationships and the secrets that have shaped their lives across generations. Paul talks about growing up in 1990s Ireland, a country deeply influenced by the Catholic Church and its conservative values, and how that environment dictated what people could or couldn’t say about themselves. He and Dua discuss the loneliness of adolescence, the…
9 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
Kae Tempest On His Latest Novel, ‘Having Spent Life Seeking’
For the Service95 Book Club this month, Dua is joined by writer, poet, playwright and musician Kae Tempest to discuss his latest novel, Having Spent Life Seeking, which is Dua’s Monthly Read for June. Together, Dua and Kae explore the novel’s core themes: forgiveness and atonement, the instability of home when both the person and the place have changed, and the difficult process of becoming fully ‘alive’ again after years spent disconnected from the world. At the centre of their discussion is Rothko, a character Kae describes as “dislocated from life”, alongside the novel’s wider cast, each…
22 May 2026 · 35 min
From The Archives: Malorie Blackman on race, language and the legacy of Noughts & Crosses
From the archives this month, we revisit Dua’s conversation with Malorie Blackman, the former Children’s Laureate and author of the groundbreaking young adult series Noughts & Crosses. The novel follows Callum and Sephy, childhood friends growing up on opposite sides of a violently segregated society, where the ruling Crosses hold power over the oppressed Noughts. More than 20 years after its release, Dua and Malorie discuss Noughts & Crosses’ lasting impact and why its themes of inequality, identity and division remain so relevant today. Together, they explore the lived experiences and…
5 May 2026 · 42 min
So Late In The Day: Dua Lipa & Claire Keegan On Everyday Misogyny
For her May Service95 Book Club interview, Dua Lipa is joined by one of Ireland’s most celebrated short story writers, Claire Keegan. Together, they explore Keegan’s powerful read So Late In The Day: a sharp, unsettling portrait of a man whose lack of generosity towards his fiancée gradually reveals the often quiet yet destructive nature of modern misogyny. Dua and Claire unpack the story’s subtle details, discussing how the author’s experiences as a woman living in Ireland helped to shape the narrative, and how – in a book that takes less than an hour to read – she captures an unsettling…
28 Apr 2026 · 39 min
From The Archives: Tomasz Jedrowski on his queer coming-of-age love story set in communist Poland
From the archives this month, we bring you Dua’s conversation with Polish-German author Tomasz Jedrowski, author of Swimming In The Dark. Set in 1980, it’s a story of first love between Ludwig and Janus, told against the backdrop of communist Poland as the regime starts to crumble. This queer coming of age story explores a time and place where love, class and politics do not exist in isolation. The communist party looms large in this story, impacting both professional and personal relationships. Dua and Tomasz reflect on what might have been if their parents had not made the choices they…
21 Apr 2026 · 7 min
All About ‘Jerusalem’: Jez Butterworth Answers Your Questions
In this episode of the Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa, we’re passing the mic back to you. Dua put your questions to Jez Butterworth about her April Monthly Read, Jerusalem – and here, he answers them. Jez traces the play’s origins back to New Year’s Eve 2000, explains how it came to find its name and goes inside his writing process: what tends to come first, which scene he found most difficult to write and the unique rituals that shape his writing. Watch (or listen to) the full conversation to go deeper into Jerusalem, Dua Lipa’s April read for the Service95 Book Club. Join the club: 📩…
14 Apr 2026 · 6 min
Jez Butterworth Reads The ‘Jerusalem’ Passage He Found Hardest To Write
For the April edition of the Service95 Book Club, Dua Lipa sits down with playwright Jez Butterworth to discuss his modern masterpiece, Jerusalem. If you’ve never read a play before, this is the place to start. With its raw, visceral portrait of myth, rebellion and a nation wrestling with its own identity, it’s widely regarded as one of the greatest British plays of the 21st century. In this special video, Jez Butterworth reads a powerful excerpt from the play featuring Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron dispensing life advice to his young son Marky – a rare father-son moment filled with folklore and…
7 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Jerusalem: Jez Butterworth on Real Life Inspirations, Creative Instinct & The Myth of Rural England
For April, Dua has chosen Service95’s first play: Jerusalem by award-winning British playwright Jez Butterworth. He’s widely regarded as one of the leading voices in contemporary theatre – with this conversation with Dua showing exactly what that reputation is built on. Here, Dua and Jez trace the creative forces behind Jerusalem, which unfolds across a single day in a fictional rural English village and centres on the anarchic Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron as he resists eviction from the woodland clearing he calls home. The conversation begins with the real figures and encounters that shaped the…
24 Mar 2026 · 35 min
The Archive Episode: Dua & Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie On Half Of A Yellow Sun
From the archives this month, we bring you Dua’s conversation with Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on her multi award-winning novel Half Of A Yellow Sun from August 2023. Dua says: “The story takes place in 1960s Nigeria, both before and during the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War. If this is a period of history you are not familiar with, don’t worry, you are not alone. Chimamanda skilfully balances truth and fiction, giving a gripping sense of what was at stake for those who lived through the war and granting this travesty the attention it deserves.” Together, Dua…
17 Mar 2026 · 8 min
You Asked, She Answered: Roxane Gay Addresses All Your Questions
In this episode of the Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa, she passes the mic to members of our community, inviting them to ask Roxane Gay, author of Dua’s Monthly Read for March, Bad Feminist, the questions they’ve always wanted to know. Roxane talks about the writers who shaped her, how she protects her mental health when her work puts her in the crosshairs and why firm boundaries make honest writing possible. Perhaps most importantly, Roxane answers one of the weightier questions of our time: can literature ignite a revolution? Get in touch: 📩 Email us – [email protected] 📲 Follow…
10 Mar 2026 · 10 min
Roxane Gay Reads An Essay From Her Book, Bad Feminist
For the March edition of the Service95 Book Club’s Monthly Read, Dua Lipa sits down with one of the most prominent feminist voices of this generation, Roxane Gay, to discuss her widely celebrated book of essays, Bad Feminist. In this exclusive video, Roxane Gay reads an essay from the book, Peculiar Benefits. “It’s an essay I wrote when I was trying to think through my relationship to privilege. And how, at times, people are often reluctant to claim privilege, because they are marginalised in other areas of their life,”says Roxane. Plus, if you haven’t already, be sure to watch Dua and…
4 Mar 2026 · 48 min
Is ‘Bad Feminist’ More Relevant Than Ever? Roxane Gay On Media, Misogyny And Finding Joy Amid the Fight
For March’s Monthly Read – and in time for International Women’s Day – we are thrilled to be featuring Bad Feminist by American writer, professor, editor and social commentator Roxane Gay. In this podcast episode, Dua picks some of her favourite essays from Roxane’s 2014 collection, which spans everything from pop culture and politics to race, body image, sexual violence and the complicated expectations placed on women. The pair unpack how the landscape of feminism has shifted in today’s climate but also (and perhaps more importantly) how so much of Roxane’s commentary feels just as relevant…
23 Feb 2026 · 26 min
From The Archives – Crying In H Mart: Michelle Zauner On How Food Holds Memory, How Grief Can Remake Who We Are & Writing As An Act Of Survival
Regular listeners of the Service95 Book Club podcast know, as well as our new monthly read author interviews, we love revisiting some of Dua’s most memorable conversations. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is such a universal mother-daughter story, it will always deserve a second, third, even fourth read – making this illuminating conversation between Dua and Michelle from April 2024 worthy of a second, third, even fourth listen. Some of you may already know Michelle as the uber-cool singer and guitarist of the American cult indie band Japanese Breakfast. Here, she also proves herself to…
17 Feb 2026 · 6 min
Jean-Baptiste Answers Your Questions
Jean-Baptiste Del Amo joins Dua for this special Service95 Book Club episode and answers questions from our Service95 community. In this episode, he reflects on the emotion he most wants readers to confront in The Son of Man, and why discomfort can open the door to deeper understanding. How does he portray brutality without crossing into excess? Where is the line between honesty and spectacle? The conversation also explores fate and free will. Are his characters trapped in cycles shaped by history, family and violence, or do they have the power to choose differently? How much of our lives is…
10 Feb 2026 · 7 min
Jean-Baptise Del Amo Reads From The Son Of Man, Dua’s Monthly Read For February 2026
This month on the Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa podcast, Dua sits down with French author Jean-Baptiste Del Amo to discuss his novel The Son of Man. A dark and unsettling psychological thriller, the book explores themes of inherited violence, patriarchy, masculinity and love. As Dua puts it: “I have to give a trigger warning - this book is dark, even for me!” In a Service95 exclusive, Jean-Baptiste reads a powerful excerpt from the novel, in which the father figure, one of the book’s three protagonists, speaks to his son about his own dark understanding of love, loyalty and betrayal.…
3 Feb 2026 · 38 min
The Son Of Man: Jean-Baptiste Del Amo on Masculinity, Inherited Violence & Patriarchy
This month, Dua sits down with acclaimed French novelist Jean-Baptiste Del Amo to discuss his haunting novel The Son Of Man – a tense, unsettling exploration of masculinity, patriarchy, and the cycles of violence passed from father to son. Set largely in an isolated mountain house in rural France, the novel follows a family upended by the sudden return of a father whose past trauma slowly reveals itself in devastating ways. “This is a dark book, even by my standards,” Dua says. “And yet, there’s also real beauty here.” During the interview, Jean-Baptiste tells Dua why he wanted The Son of…
26 Jan 2026 · 50 min
From The Archives – Lincoln In The Bardo: George Saunders On Writing With Empathy, Listening To The Past & Finding Light In The Depths Of Grief
Regular listeners of the Service95 Book Club podcast know, as well as our new monthly read author interviews, we love revisiting some of Dua’s most memorable conversations — and this is a firm favourite. This time from the archive, we’re diving back into Dua’s conversation with George Saunders about his experimental novel Lincoln In The Bardo, Dua’s Monthly Read for October 2024. Set in the cemetery where President Abraham Lincoln is mourning his young son Willie, it’s a story of intense personal grief, told against a backdrop of the American Civil War. Dua and George discuss how he told…
20 Jan 2026 · 6 min
Mark Ronson & Dua Lipa Answer Your Questions
Mark Ronson and Dua Lipa come together for a live recording of the Service95 Book Club at New York City’s legendary Hotel Chelsea. In this episode, they respond to your questions from the Service95 Book Club community, diving into the allure of reading, curiosity, and the city after dark. What draws us to intense, shadowy novels? If they could bring back one long-lost NYC institution, which would it be? How do they navigate the endless stream of book recommendations when choosing their next read? And what truths does the night reveal that daylight often conceals? Buy the book at…
13 Jan 2026 · 5 min
Mark Ronson Reads From Night People, On Ambition, Friendship & Early Mistakes
This month on the Service95 Book Club podcast, Dua sits down with producer and DJ Mark Ronson to discuss his memoir Night People – a candid look at the music, obsession, and late-night worlds that shaped him long before success felt secure. In a Service95 exclusive, Mark reads an excerpt from Night People that revisits a formative early lesson in ambition. The passage recalls a moment when, desperate to get a foot in the door, he sells out his best friend Sean Lennon without his knowing, securing a slot for his band at the New Music Seminar. It’s a story driven by hunger, insecurity, and…
6 Jan 2026 · 57 min
Night People: Mark Ronson on DJing & 90s New York
This month, for the Service95 Book Club, Dua Lipa speaks with producer, songwriter and DJ Mark Ronson about his memoir Night People: How To Be A DJ in 90s New York City. Part cultural history and part personal reckoning, the book traces Mark’s formative years between London and New York, and how his immersion into NYC nightlife ultimately shaped the 90s DJ scene in the city. Set in 1990s New York, Night People captures the clubs, characters, and contradictions that shaped Mark’s creative life. He reflects on the idea of “night people,” shaped by his unconventional upbringing and his parents’…
19 Dec 2025 · 27 min
From The Archive — The Vanishing Half: Brit Bennett On Identity, Invention & The Stories We Inherit
Regular listeners of the Service95 Book Club podcast will know that, alongside our new monthly author interviews, we love returning to some of Dua’s most powerful conversations from the past two and a half years. This time from the archive, Dua revisits her discussion with Brit Bennett, author of Service95 Book Club’s November Monthly Read for 2023, The Vanishing Half. The novel opens up profound questions about identity, class, and the legacies that echo across generations – including perhaps the most challenging question of all: what even constitutes race? The Vanishing Half follows the…
9 Dec 2025 · 5 min
Ingvild Rishøi Reads from Brightly Shining, Dua’s Monthly Read for December
This month on the Service95 Book Club podcast, Dua sits down with Norwegian author Ingvild Rishøi to discuss her moving novel Brightly Shining – Dua’s Monthly Read for December – a story shaped by love, chaos, and the stubborn hope that gets a child through tough times. In a Service95 exclusive, Ingvild reads a passage that captures the novel’s intimate focus on a family stuck in a familiar loop of crisis and shaky fresh starts. We see a dad trying to pull himself together and two daughters who’ve learned how to handle responsibility, exhaustion, and a cautious kind of optimism. It’s a…
2 Dec 2025 · 34 min
Brightly Shining: Ingvild Rishøi on Hope, Hardship & Reimagining a Christmas Classic
This month, for the Service95 Book Club, Dua Lipa speaks with Norwegian author Ingvild Rishøi about Brightly Shining, a contemporary reimagining of The Little Match Girl. The novel follows two young sisters and their alcoholic father, blending social realism with subtle magic to explore poverty, hope, and the emotional complexities of the holiday season. Told through the perspective of 10-year-old Ronja, the story highlights the resilience of children navigating instability, the blurred lines between truth and denial within families affected by addiction, and the differing ways siblings cope…

About Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa

Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa is a English arts & books podcast from Service95. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Service95
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1818337291

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